Crime in Washington, DC, has dropped across all categories since President Trump ordered federal law enforcement into the streets of the nation’s capital earlier this month — with carjackings plummeting an astonishing 87% from the same period last year, Democratic Mayor Muriel Bowser revealed Wednesday
“The federal surge has had a significant [decrease] on crime in Washington, DC, and we greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what [DC’s Metropolitan Police Department] has been able to do in this city,” Bowser said at a press conference where she unveiled the latest crime data.
Since Aug. 7, overall crime is down 15% in the District compared to the same 20-day period in August 2024.
All violent crime has nearly been cut in half, falling 45%, according to Bowser.
The mayor described the decline in carjackings as “the most significant thing” found in the new data.
Only four carjacking instances have been recorded during the federal surge, down from 31 during the same period last year.
Between 2018 and 2023, the number of carjackings in the district rose every year, peaking at 959 cases in 2023, with victims that year including an FBI agent, a diplomat from the United Arab Emirates and Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas.)
DC police recorded 496 carjackings last year – still triple the number of offenses from six years earlier.
Wednesday’s data also showed homicides fell 38% from 2024, sex abuse was down 44% and robberies dropped 62% — from 119 cases to 45.
Property crime also declined by 12% during the Trump crackdown, while burglaries (47%) and motor vehicle thefts (35%) also declined signficantly.
Arrests by MPD jumped 20% and firearm recoveries rose by 12% compared to last August.
Hundreds of federal law enforcement agents, including from the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement swarmed Washington, DC, beginning Aug. 7 following a series of high-profile crimes targeting public servants.
Bowser also announced plans to conduct a census of DC’s homeless population to determine the number of tents that remain in the city, the number of people living in those tents and the number of homeless not living in tents or shelters.
Since the start of Trump’s surge, 81 people have checked into homeless shelters, according to Bowser.
The mayor’s “situational update” was critical of some of the tactics being used by Trump and federal law enforcement.
“Masked ICE agents” and “National Guard from other states” were listed in the “What’s Not Working” category of her PowerPoint presentation.
Bowser urged DC’s federal partners to “build more trust” within the community.
